Bin with movable bottom



April 26, 1949. s. SAUL, JR 2,468,115

BIN WITH MOVABLE BOTTOM- Filed Aug. 22, 1945 2 sme's-sheefb Q l\. m g N N 'q N' INVENToR Samuel SauLJJ ATTORNEY S April 26, 1949. s. SAUL', JR v 2,468,115

Y BIN WITH MOVABLE BO'TOM FiledkAug. 22, l1945 2 sheets-snee@ Vz` VIII/4 N: mi l N INVENToR SamueZ-SauZ, Ir.

6M, WMM@ ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26, 1949 `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention is for an improvement in bins or boxes, and is particularly applicable but not restricted to portable bins or boxes of a type commonly used in industrial establishments in assembly line operations.

In many types of manufacturing operations, portable bins or boxes are conveniently used to bring and retain a supply of parts to be incorporated in some equipment being there manufactured, the bins or boxes, full of parts, being brought to a particular assembly line or other station. When one box or bin is empty, another is Waiting to be brought into place. When the bin or box is full the operator has easy access to those on top, but as the supply is exhausted, the operator must reach further and further down to remove the remaining pieces. Similar bins or boxes may also be used to receive and transport parts from one station to another, in which case the operator starts with an empty box and iills it, often with pieces requiring care in handling. In such instance, when the box is empty, he must reach clear to the bottom of the box to lay the rst pieces in it, reaching a progressively less distance as the box or bin becomes full.

The present invention provides an improved box or bin for this and like purposes wherein the bottom of the bin floats up and down depending upon whether it is full or empty, adapting its level always to the amount of material in the bin. Hence the distance that the operator must reach, either in unloading or loading is uniform.

The invention further provides such a bin or box of strong, simple construction in which the movable bottom will not tip and bind due to uneven distribution of the load thereover.

My invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a. bin embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a staggered transverse section thereof, the view being in about the line II-II of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the bin;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the movable bottom; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view, on a larger scale, of one of the corner guides, the view being a vertical section.

Referring to the drawings, the bin or box is preferably of rectangular form and is formed of heavy gauge sheet metal. It has two end Walls 2, a high side wall 3, and a low side wall 1I which is normally turned toward the operator and which is several inches shorter in height than the side 3' or ends 2. The box has a bottom 5 formed of sheet metal and reinforced by intersecting angles 5 as disclosed in my United States Patent No. 2,316,892, granted April 20, 1943, Conveniently the bottom of the box may be provided with castors 'I and 8, castors 8 being swiveled. The castors provide for the movability of the box and support it so that a transfer apparatus can b put under it if desired.

Near the bottom of the box at each end and on the outside thereof is a transverse angle 9 providing a horizontally extending supporting ledge. Extending up the ends of the box at each corner4 are sheet metal housings I I which are preferably substantially square in section. A rod I2 connected between these housings provides a convenient handle for manipulating the bin. In each of the housings II there is fixed a vertical tube I3. The tube I3 is provided with a plug at its lower end into which is screwed a bolt I4, the bolt I4 passingthrough the supporting ilange 9. The top of the tube has a plug therein into which is screwed a bolt I5, the bolt I5 passing through an angle bracket I6 that is secured to the end Wall of the bin. The tubes I 3 provide rigid guide posts of light construction, and around each post therel is a long compression spring II. The top of the compression spring bears against the under side of a iianged guide member IS, this guide member having a iianged top I9 and depending sleeve 20 that has a sliding fit on the tube I3. Downward movement of the guide is resisted by the compression spring l'I. Inside the box there is a false bottom structure comprising a sheet metal plate member 2| having downwardly turned side and end flanges as shown in Fig. 4. This plate is supported on parallel cross rods 22, the cross rods having brackets 23 thereon by means of which the plate 2I is bolted to them. The cross bars 22 are longer than the greatest width of the bin and the end walls of the bin are provided with parallel vertical slots 24 through which the ends of the cross bars 22 project, the endsvof the cross bars 2'2 providing projections which rest on the guide members I8.:

The slots 24 extend from a point just under the angle bracket I6 to the point designated 25, which is the lower limit of travel of the false bottom. The false bottom or floating bottom is thus resiliently supported at each corner on one of the vertically movable guide elements I8, and it can be forced downwardly against the compression of the spring I1. The slots 24 provide guideways for the ends of the bars 22 and limit the upward travel of the bottom under the pressure of the springs. When the bottom is pushed down so that the cross bars 22 are at the bottom limits 25 of the slots 24, the sleeve elements of the guides I8 will contact the anges 9 so that further downward movementis prevented.:

As heavy articles are charged onto the bin, the floating bottom 2l will be forced down, going down as the load resting on the bottom increases. Likewise, when the load is removedpieceby piece from the top of the bin, the bottom 2T will rise,

thereby making it unnecessary for thev operator to. reach down into the bin as thesupply becomes exhausted, or while he is loading the bin.

The guide elements I8 comprising the: flange I9 and the sleeve 20 have a long sliding contact on theguideposts ottubesf I3. Hencethese g-uides oanmove only. axially'of the tube, i.e.,.ina vertical direction, and. they cannotbe. tilted or. canted so asto. bind` onthe. posts. The. projecting endsof thebars 22.merely rest on these supporting guide elements and.. no binding. action can result from unequal distribution oftheload on the kbottom 2 I. The flanged. side edges of the bottom 2I are preferably out ofcontact with the vertical walls, the. slots. 24. beingso positioned` and. of such proportionsthat.thebottom 2-'I-wi1l'float up and down freely between` the frontandAv back side walls without contacting either. Theguide posts I3-in addition to causing the oating'r bottomA to` move up and downin. aplaneeven though there may; be.` unever. loading,` serve` to confine the spring III. so. that asl it compresses, it will not bow or buckle away fromitsaxis to any appreciable extent.v

The.- binI can be. cheaply constructed.v Access can,alsobe:.readily` hadto any ofthel guides. for replacing themor replacing. a-spring. To remove or replace the' springsritlis' merely necessaryto unbolt` one` of theV brackets IIf-andA remove the bolt' I5; Then by removingthe bolt I4'the entire tube- Iii-mayI beren'loved.4 Thissleaves the guide unevenly supported,.and.by, pushingdownon one end. of the bottom, the bottom can be inclined toanfangle wheretheprojecting ends ofthe cross barsv 2 2- cant be. maneuvered outx of the slots. A- simil'ar operation-maybeperformedin assembling. the structure;

Aside from.thefsimplicity',y theinvention provides-a binc in which'` the: bottom moves upAv and downaccording Ytothe :load: on--it'without binding. and: without adverse eiectl due-.tounequal load'- ing.v The springs-f4 which supportthe:bottoin.l and alsol the guides, are entirely outside of.. the bin4 so. that .they are r protected. from'. damage andy do not occupy any storage space-within the bint itself.

Whilev I-V havey specificallyC described' and illustrated one present'preferredembodiment of my invention,y it willbe understood that this is by'way of-.illustration-andthat various changes and modications inthe. construction mayfbefn'rade within` thecontemplation of'my inventionA andunder the scope of the followingV claims.

I-.claimz 1. Abm comprising.A al casing, .a movable-bottom infthe casing, aplurality ot guide posts-extending vertically of the casing having guide sleeves thereon, which sleeves have a sliding t on the posts, springs surrounding the guide posts and bearing against the sleeves and extensions on the movable bottom resting on the sleeves for normally supporting the bottom.

2. A bin comprising a four-sided casing, a vertically movable bottom member in the casing having a working t therein, guide posts adjacent each corner of the casing, guide sleeves slidable on the posts and having a sliding fit thereon, means at each corner of the bottom member engaging one of the sleeves whereby the bottom member and sleeves move vertically together, and springs resiliently urging the bottom and sleeves upwardly.

3. A bin comprising a rectangular casing having end walls and iront and rear walls, two opposed walls-having a pair of spaced vertically extending slits therein, a vertically movable bottom member 'within' the casing having a working fit therein, the bottom member having extensions thereon which ext'endthrough said slits, guide sleeves outside the casing with which the said extensions are engaged, guide posts outside the casing on which `the sleevesl have a slidingft, andsprings surroundingl the guidefposts' resiliently'supp'orting the sleeves;

4. A bin comprising ay rectangular casingh'aving end walls and front and rear walls.. two: opl posed walls havingy a'v-pair of vspacedfverticaily'extending slits therein, a vertically'movable bottom member. within. the casing having, a' working fit therein, the bottom member having extensions I thereon which extend through said slits, guide sleeves outside kthe casing with: which thev` said extensions are engaged; guide postsI outside the casing onwhichl ther sleevesv have asliding fit, springs surrounding thev guide posts resiliently supporting the sleeves, and a housing outsidefthe casingI enclosing each of the guide-posts' and' its spring.

5. A bin* comprising a" rectangular'casi-ngz having front and rear walls and having end walls, eachu of the-end walls having, apair offvertica'lly extending slotsthereinV at each' side of tl'iel centen thereof, avertically movable: bottom member: in the casing having a: freeworking` nt inside/the casing, projecting elementsronthebottom mem'- ber extending through the? slits; guide.- sleeves outside theY casingnunder-y each of the said .proj ecting elements for supporting the,` same, aA fixed guide post on-'whicheach of-.the-saidf-guide sleeves has' av slidingiit, and a spring surrounding each guide. post and resiliently supporting the guide sleeve which is slidable4 on= said post.`

6. A bin.- comprisingacasing having iront-and rear walls andhaving opposed end; walls; the two end-walls andthe-rear 4wallfbeing higher-than theV front wall; a; bottom? member in. the casing movable vertically withl respect: thereto,. the bot-.- tom-member having extensions at eachendfthereof, the end walls: having verticallyextending parallel slots therein through which the projecttionsV extend, said slots-limiting; the 7upward travel of the movable bottomfmember, a supporting post` on'the outside of the casing andadjacentea'ch slot, aguideA sleevehaving a slidingt oneach post, the projections on themovable bottom member which extend throughl the respective sl'ots being engaged with the several guide sleeves fon' movement up and downwith. the guide-sleeve, and compression springs surrounding each4 or.Y the guide posts and resiliently supporting thefguide-, sleeves against downward; movement.

'7. A bin comprising a casing, a bottom member in the casing movable vertically up and down REFERENCES CITED therein, projections on the bottom extending The following references are of record in the laterally through the casing at a, plurality of le of this patent: points, the casing having vertical slots to ac- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS commodate and guide such projections, guide sleeves, guide posts on 'which the sleeves move Number Name Date secured to the outside of the casing adjacent said 551,692 Schmidt Dec. 17, 1895 slots, the guide sleeves supporting the said projec- 631,508 Lang Aug. 22, 1899 tions and having a sliding t on the posts, and 10 1,753,168 OliVauX May 13, 1930 spring elements surrounding the guide posts for 1,902,239 HOldgrafel Mal- 21, 1933 resiliently urging the sleeves upwardly.

SAMUEL SAUL, J R. 

